Machine for manufacturing spirally-wound straws.



L. C. MALTBY MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SPIRALLY WOUND STRAWS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. I916.

Patented Jan. 1,1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

mul'nw L. C. MALTBY MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SPIRALLY WOUND STRAWS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1916.

1,252,284. Patented Jan. 1,1918.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

L. o. MALTBY MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SPIRALLY WOUND STRAWS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, I916.

Patented Jan.1,1918.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3 LEWIS C. MALTBY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE STONE STRAW COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

Application filed February 12, 1916. Serial No. 78,056.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lewis G. MALTBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Manufacturing spirally-Wound Straws, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in machines for manufacturing spirallywound straws.

One of the fundamental features of this invention is the construction and arrangement of parts whereby the glue-pot is brought into close proximity and intimate relation with the point on the mandrel where the winding or spinning takes place, so that the distance for the paper to travel after it leaves the glue-wheel to the mandrel is reduced to a minimum, whichis an important consideration wherea quick-setting glue is used, as is the case in this art, and where it is important that there should be just as little play and vibration of the paper strips as ossible in reaching the mandrel.

other important feature is my present arrangement for adjusting the tension of the belt without changing its angle, all of which and other features will be hereinafter more fully described in the specification and recited in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a-plan view;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the cut-ofi' mechanism;

Fig. 4.- is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking to the right or in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 5 is a similar section on line 55 of Fig. 1, looking toward the right, as indicated by the arrow;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1, looking toward the left;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section of a form of tension device employed with this machine;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the tension devlce;

Fig. 9 is an end view.

A, represents the bed or frame of the machine, mounted as usual on legs or other supports 1, which are partially shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Across this bed, a bolsterB extends diagonally at the required angle, as shown in Fig. 1. This bolster has a hub 2 at the center, which fits and is capable ,of turning in the central orifice 3 of the bed.

The bolster forms the support for the entire straw-winding or spinning mechanism with the exception of the mandrel 4, which latter is adj ustably supported by thegbracket 5 bolted to the bed A in a horizontal position, extending lengthwise of the bed, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6.

Cross-heads 6 and 7 are dovetailed to and slidably connected with the beveled edges of the bolster, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, they being adjusted by the screws 8 and 9, which are swiveled in the lugs 10 and 11 on corresponding sides of the cross-heads, and turn in threaded orifices in the lugs 12 and 13 on the bolster, these screws being turned to the right to force the cross-heads outwardly, and to the left to slide them toward the center.

Mounted on the cross-heads are the yokes 14 and 15, which latter afford bearings.l6

and 17' for the vertical shafts 18 and 19,-

which carry at their upper ends the pulleys 20 and 21 respectively, over which the winding 01' spinning belt 22 is carried.

On the lower ends of these vertical shafts 18 and 19, the bevel-gears 24 and 25 are keyed, and the teeth of these bevel-gears mesh with corresponding gears 26 and 27 respectively keyed on the horizontal shafts 28 and 29, which latter are journaled and supported on the bolster B, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6.

These shafts 28 and 29 have bevel gears 30 and 31 keyed to their inner ends respectively, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. These bevel-gears 30-and 31 both mesh with, on opposite sides of, a horizontally-disposed gear 32 keyed on the vertical centrally-located shaft-33, which extends down through the hub 2 of the bolster, as shown in Fig. 6, and has a large bevel gear 34 keyed to its lower end. The teeth of this gear mesh with a bevel-gear 35 keyed on the main horizontal drive-shaft 36 supported in bearings 37 longitudinally beneath the bed A, and on the outer end of which the main drive-pulley 38 is secured.

The belt, as is customary, is wound several (preferably three) times around the mandrel, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and its tension may be regulated at anytime without stopping the machine or varying the angle of the belt'by simply applying a. wrench to one or both of the screws 8 and 9 and turning them to the right or left, accordingly as the belt is to be tightened or loosened, and likewise the angle of the belt may be varied to suit the requirements at any time without interfering with the operation of the machine, by simply shifting the bolster the required degree to the right or left.

The glue-pot is represented by the letter G. This rests diagonally upon the bed, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, in position to be moved beneath the mandrel, and'as close as possible to the spinning point of the straws being made upon the mandrel, which takes place approximately at the intersection of the mandrel and center of the bolster, or immediately above the centrallylocated vertical shaft 33, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 6. For this purpose, the forward end 40 of the glue-pot is sloped, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6.

This glue-pot contemplates the use of as high as three strips of paper in the formation'of a straw as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 8 and 9. A shaft 41 is journaled in bearings 42 in the top of the glue-pot, and on this shaft is secured the glue wheel 43, over which the uppermost paper strip 44 is fed to the mandrel, theother two strips 45 and 46 being fed directly to the mandrel. A small gear 47 is secured on the end of shaft 41, and this meshes with the teeth of a gearwheel 48, the axle 49 of which is adjustably supported in a slot 50, which curves in an arc struck from the axial center of the drivezontal shaft 29. The purpose of the curved slot 50 is to adjust the wheel 48 to the right or left, accordingly as the glue-pot is moved forward or backward on the bed and with respect to the spinning point on the man drel.

In connection with this glue-pot, I have introduced a tension device, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9. This comprises a plate 52, which is preferably hinged to the rear edge of the glue-pot, as at 53, so that it may be swung up out of the way. This plate has as many grooves 54 as there are strips of paper, in the present instance three, to be spun into the tube, as shown in Fig. 8. Spring-tensions 55 bear yieldingly upon the bottom of the grooves 54 or the strips 44, 45 and 46 while feeding through the grooves. This spring-tension .55 is held at one end by a "set-screw or similar means 56 on the hub 57 mounted on the cross-pin 58 secured by set-screws 59 in the lugs 60 on the plate 52- Adjusting screws 61, three in number, for adjusting the tension of the spring-tensions 55 are supported .by the collars 62 secured to the pin 58, and, by turning these set-screws 61, the required ten.- sion is adjusted for each strip being fed thereunder.

The same adjustable slide 63 for removing the superfluous glue from the glue-wheel 43 is provided as set forth inanother application Serial N 0. 78,055 filed concurrently herewith, it being adjusted by means of the swivel-screw 64 turning in the threaded holes 65, as shown in Fig. 7.

The belt 22 theoretically travels as fast as the surface speed of the drive-pulleys 20 and 21. But I have found in practice that it is necessary to allow the belt to slip somewhat on the mandrel 4. For instance, Where the surface feed of the belt on the mandrel is three hundred feet per minute, by the introduction of the tensions 55,'we held the paper strip back a trifle, say to'two hundred and eighty-six feet per minute, or an actual slip of the belt of fourteen feet per minute more than the feed of the paper strips. This made it necessary to have the surfacespeed of the glue-Wheel 43 the same as the paper. The shafts 18, 19 and 41 are geared two to one, and the diameter of the glue-wheel ,43 is just enough less than half the diameter of the belt-pulleys 20 and 21 to cause the surface of the glue-wheel 43 to travel the exact speed required for the paper, all of which is provided by the mechanism I have herein described.

The cut-01f mechanism is shown at the right in Figs. 1 and 2, and in detail in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. It comprises a drum 66 which is mounted on the counter-shaft 67 journaled in bearings 68 supported on the bed A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. This countershaft 67 is driven at the required speed from the main drive-shaft 36, through a chain of gears 69, 70, and 71, the latter secured'on the shaft 67, all of which is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. This drum 66 has the peripheral .cams 72, as well-as'an end-cam 83, which are the means respectively for reciprocating the saW-dust'73, its shaft 74, the sleeve 75, and

'the straw-tube 76 through the medium of the collar 77 secured on the sleeve 7 5, and the anti-friction roller 78, which Works in the circumferential cam-groove 72. The saw is rocked in and out of the path of the straw proximity to the windings of the belt on the mandrel, a grooved plate hinged to the gluepot adapted to receive strips of paper being fed to the mandrel, and adjustable tensions carried by the plate which bear yieldingly toward the bottoms of the grooves.

2. The combination with a machine-bed or frame, a mandrel, and a belt passed around the latter, of a glue-pot placed between the bed and mandrel and in close proximity to the windings of the belt on the mandrel, a glue-Wheel rotatably supported in the glue-pot, a grooved plate hinged to the glue-pot adapted to receive strips of paper being fed to the mandrel, adjustable tensions carried by the plate which bear yieldingly toward the bottoms of the grooves, and a slide adjustably connected to the lower surface of said hinged plate for scraping the glue from the glue-wheel.

3. The combination with a machine bed or frame and a mandrel, of a bolster carrying horizontal and vertical shafts, means for driving the latter, pulleys carried by the vertical shafts, a belt passed around said pulleys and mandrel, a gear carried by one of the horizontal shafts, a glue-pot, a gluewheel a trifle less than half the diameter of the belt pulleys and mounted in said gluepot, a gear on the glue-wheel shaft, and an intermediate gear between saidlast-named gear and the gear on the horizontal shaft carried by the bolster.

4. The combination with a machine bed or frame and a mandrel, of a bolster carrying horizontal and vertical shafts, means for driving the latter, pulleys carried by the vertical shafts, a belt passed around said pulleys and mandrel, a gear carried by one of the horizontal shafts, a glue-pot, a glue-wheel a trifle less than half the diameter of the belt pulleys and mounted in said glue-pot, a gear on the glue-Wheel shaft, an intermediate gear between said last-named gear and the gear on the horizontal shaft carried by the bolster, and means for adjusting the position of said intermediate gear in an are from the center of the gear carried by the horizontal shaft on the bolster,

5. The combination with a machine bed or frame and a mandrel, of a bolster carrying horizontal and vertical shafts, means for driving the-latter, pulleys carried by the vertical shafts, a belt passed around said pulleys and mandrel, a gear carried by one of the horizontal shafts, a glue-pot over which strips of paper are fed to the mandrel, a glue-wheel a trifle less than half the diameter of the belt pulleys and mounted in said glue-pot, a gear on the glue-wheel shaft, an intermediate gear between said last-named gear and the gear on the horizontal shaft carried by the bolster, and means for applying tension to the strips of paper fed to the mandrel.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

LEWISC. MALTBY. 

